Murdoch opposes Tories on immigration

Rupert Murdoch has dealt a blow to the Tories by coming out against Michael Howard's controversial immigration policy.

Mr Murdoch told a Los Angeles conference he did not support a Conservative proposal to cap immigration and threw his weight behind Labour's points system.

"The idea of a points system for immigrants who want to come and live there who would enrich the country in the ways immigrants have this country [the US] I think is great," Mr Murdoch told a media briefing at the Milken Institute conference in Los Angeles last night.

"The Conservatives want to do the same thing, but they would put an absolute cap on it and I think that's wrong.

"I don't think you need to put a cap on it unless you started to see a lot of unemployment arising out of it, which I think is highly unlikely. If you bring skilled people into the country I think it would enrich the whole country and create a lot more jobs. I am pro-immigrant."

Mr Murdoch's comments will be welcomed by the Labour party, which is hoping to win the support of his Sun newspaper.

The Sun, which is normally forthright about its allegiances, has yet to declare whether it will again back Tony Blair in the election.

The red-top's equivocation has led to speculation about a disagreement between Mr Murdoch and the Sun's influential political editor, Trevor Kavanagh, who favours the Conservatives.

Kavanagh, 62, will serve his last election at the helm of the Sun's political team, MediaGuardian.co.uk reported yesterday.